Mother’s Day Weekend Eats

It seemed that this weekend was all about cooking and eating! This post will have recipes for a Green Monster, Blueberry Orange Muffins, and a Tex-Mex soup that is the soup version of a “junk salad.” (A junk salad is a salad that is a bunch of miscellaneous ingredients tossed in a bowl to make a salad.)

In preparation of next week’s 10K and my questionable right leg, I needed to try a run to see what my current situation was. I should have practiced outside, but I didn’t want to get too far from home if I really needed to stop. So onto the treadmill. The goal was 3 miles at a slow steady pace, and I ended up going 5! I was surprised and thankful that something I have been doing this last week is working.

I have told you I am a slow runner, but I ran 5 miles in 55 minutes, which is actually faster than my usual pace. I will keep up with the icing and stretching, and hope that next week goes well! At least I have a little more confidence than the last few days. Sunday I did a spinning class to rest my legs from the pounding.

Onto the eats! After the 5 miles on Saturday morning, I was starving by noon. Like could have eaten anything put in front of me. So I made a Green Monster and a PB&J Sandwich. It hit the spot! My green monster was basic and filling:

Green Monster:

1 banana

lots of spinach (2-3 cups?)

3/4 C milk (i didn’t measure)

1/2 Truvia sweetener

2 strawberries

handful of ice

blend away! it was thick and very tasty. If you have not had a Green Monster and are scared by the green, just try it! It tastes like banana, not spinach. And if you add berries, the smoothie turns purple.

These muffins were very tasty and had a strong orange flavor. Good strong. The batter was very thick, and they did make exactly 16 muffins. I made them Saturday and served them on Sunday. I thought by Sunday they were a little sticky, but they still got eaten. I have made other baked goods from this website and always freeze them to eat for breakfast. That definitely helps toughen up the muffin or loaf, so I will try that with these leftovers.

The last meal was Sunday night dinner for two. It was a Tex-Mex soup. I almost feel embarrassed to serve this because it requires no effort. A great way to empty your pantry!

Tex-Mex Soup:

2 cans Great Northern Beans

2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 can corn

1 onion

1 tsp cumin

handful cilantro

1 package ranch dressing mix

1/2 pack taco seasoning mix

cheese and tortilla chips for topping

2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

Cook chicken first, then mix everything else in soup pot and let simmer until ready to eat. Very spicy!